I am extremely excited to present the next Wings Over New Zealand Show - Episode 70: Les Munro Part One. Listen or download for free now. http://www.cambridgeairforce.org.nz/WONZ_Show_61_70.html#LesMunro1 In this episode, part one of two, we hear an extremely interesting interview with Squadron Leader Les Munro DSO, DFC, RNZAF. He was one of the original members of the Royal Air Force's most famous unit, No. 617 Squadron - The Dambusters. In this first instalment we hear about his younger life, and his entry into the Royal New Zealand Air Force. He covers his training in New Zealand and in Canada, and then his posting to England where he completed further training with an Operational Training Unit on Wellingtons followed by a short stint on the Avro Manchester. Then Les was posted to No. 97 Squadron RAF flying Avro Lancasters on operations over Europe. Following 21 ops he and most of his crew volunteered to join a newly forming 'special squadron' at RAF Scampton, which would later be renamed No. 617 Squadron. Les details the training on this squadron leading right up to his take off for the famous Dams raid (which will be covered in the next episode). The interviewers are Dave Homewood and Richard Carstens, and this interview was recorded in April 2010.
Last surviving Dambusters pilot sells gallantry medals for upkeep of Bomber Command Memorial Squadron Leader Les Munro hopes to raise £50,000 from sale of medals to go towards newly-built London memorial to airmen killed during Second World War The last surviving Dambusters pilot is to sell his gallantry medals awarded for the famous raid and donate the proceeds to the Bomber Command Memorial fund. Squadron Leader Les Munro hopes to raise £50,000 from the sale, which will go towards the upkeep of the newly-built memorial dedicated to the 55,573 airmen killed during the Second World War. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/defence/11444720/Last-surviving-Dambusters-pilot-sells-gallantry-medals-for-upkeep-of-Bomber-Command-Memorial.html (The charity, the RAF Benevolent Fund, has the duty to pay for its maintenance and upkeep at a cost of £50,000 a year.) My question is, why does it cost so much for it's upkeep? Lesley
Making a guess, could part of the annual cost be to pay for staff to undertake cleaning, painting and carry out repairs? One of the aims of the fund (actually its No. 1 aim) is the upkeep of the RAF Memorial (see below). So the fund should have a good idea about the annual cost for the Bomber Command Memorial. Aims of the RAF Benevolent Fund (from its website): "We have three main goals, or charitable objects. These are the reasons that we exist as a charity. The first is to maintain and preserve the RAF Memorial in London on behalf of the nation. The second is to provide assistance to the RAF family, when they are in need. The third is to support the morale and wellbeing of the serving RAF. We are also responsible for the new Bomber Command Memorial in central London." Source: http://www.rafbf.org/193/The-RAFMemorial.html